Standard Bank moved R164-trillion in payments in 2025

Standard Bank processed over R164-trillion ($9-trillion) in payments during 2025, handling 2.3 billion transactions — a 9% year-on-year increase. Key highlights include a 12% growth in cross-border flows, a 31% South African market share, and becoming the first African institution to connect clients to the Africa-Asia payment corridor via China's CIPS system. The bank's Aroko blockchain settlement rail surpassed R1-trillion in flows, and it partnered on Zaru, a rand-denominated stablecoin. Immediate payments in South Africa grew 37%, while Uganda's FlexiPay mobile money platform nearly doubled transaction value. Standard Bank's volumes dwarf the entire global mobile money ecosystem fourfold, reflecting the scale difference between institutional banking infrastructure and retail mobile payments.